Reds monitor Gerrard

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard could return from his two-month injury absence against Blackburn on Boxing Day.

Dalglish does not rule out return of influential midfielder

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard could return from his two-month injury absence against Blackburn on Boxing Day. The England international has not featured since the draw with Norwich at the end of October after sustaining an ankle infection having already missed a large chunk of the season. Gerrard, 31, has appeared in just five matches this campaign as a result of injuries, but he is back in training and stands a chance of facing Blackburn at Anfield. Manager Kenny Dalglish has remained typically cagey, but has not ruled out the possibility of the influential midfielder playing some part on Monday.

Options

Liverpool's boss told his pre-Blackburn press conference: "He is training, so as we've said before we'll always monitor his progress and make sure we've done the right things. "Everything he's done, he's done very well. He's been training, but whether that means he's ready or not, we'll have to wait and see." Liverpool were held to a goalless draw at Wigan on Thursday night and Dalglish has confirmed his squad did not sustain any new injuries. Jay Spearing will return to the squad from a three-match ban having served the final game in midweek and the midfielder will add to the options against Blackburn. Dalglish said: "We're fine. We never picked up any knocks the other night. Jay's suspension is over, so we've added to the squad rather than taken away from it."